Waka Ama: Northlanders among record numbers

Tupuria King is a strong favourite to dominate at this year's Te W?nanga o Aotearoa National Waka Ama Sprint Championships.

More than 3000 paddlers from throughout the country are expected to line up in various waka classes at the 27th annual Te Wnanga o Aotearoa National Waka Ama Sprint Championships on Lake Karapiro this week.

Northland will have a large contingent of paddlers taking part across the ten age divisions at the event, which will see over 1500 teams from 65 clubs racing for the prestigious national sprint title in their Waka Ama, or outrigger canoes.

Waka Ama New Zealand CEO, Lara Collins said that this year's instalment of the Club Sprint Nationals promised to be the biggest and most exciting yet.

"We had record numbers last year and we've broken that record again this year with more than 3,000 paddlers signed up to race. We've got crews coming from all over the country from as far north as Kaitaia down to Christchurch.

Collins added Waka Ama is a sport like no other, with its inclusive nature bringing together paddlers of all ages and ethnicities.

"It's a sport for all sorts of people from all walks of life. This year 2100 of the paddlers are under the age of 19 and 900 of those are aged under 12. Waka Ama is probably the only sport where grandmothers, grandfathers, mums, dads and their kids can come together to race competitively."

Waka Ama paddlers race over distances including 500m, 1500m and marathon races of 30km-75km.

At the sprint championships, clubs will compete for national honours in one, six and 12-paddler teams over distances of 250m, 500m, 1000m and 1500m. Spectators are also in for added excitement as teams competing in the six-paddler 1000m and 1500m classes have to navigate their way through hairpin turns at the 250m mark.

Male and female crews will be competing for national honours in the Midget (U10) , Intermediate (11-13), Junior U16, Junior U19, Open, Master (40) Senior Master (50) Golden Master (60) and Masters 70 age divisions.

Last year's winner of the club points' trophy for overall performances throughout the regatta was Horouta Waka Hoe from Gisborne. The club will be back this year seeking to defend its title.